JWST 240 Chapter Notes - Chapter reading: Irma Grese, Ilse Koch
Document Summary
The network of camps had been expanding since hitler came to power during 1942 and 1942. The germans incarcerated huge numbers of people from all over. These inmates were not gassed but they were beaten, starved, used for experiments and forced to do labour. Another type of mass detention facility was the labour camps. Many of the inmates were non-jewish women and men from conquered nations so german authorities used them for work connected to military requirements in mines, factories and the production of armaments. The german state viewed slave workers as a renewable resource and their lives had no value so death tolls were high. Towards the end of the war, jews were kept alive for labour and died at higher rates than other prisoners. Authorities recruit4ed for high ranking positions at the camps from within the german police. They hired unskilled or semiskilled workers to be guards at lower levels.
